ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses how different policy assumptions shape the contours of the assumed ‘fear of crime’ problem. It discusses how different policy and practice initiatives have been introduced to manage crime fear. Elaborating this line of thinking, a public understanding approach to crime, disorder and policing would also be better placed to think seriously about the importance of blame attribution in processes of reaction. Arguably the most sophisticated formulation of this was the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy. As part of the more general evaluation approach, surveys were also used to monitor changes in Chicagoans’ fear of crime and to infer the role of policing in inducing the changes. The signal crimes methodology essentially provided a rationale for reassurance policing in terms of identifying where to focus interventions and problem-solving efforts in order to maximise their impact upon public perceptions.
